Louis mabille



UNTED STA'FES PATENT FFICE.

LOUIS MABILLE, OF NEN YORK, N. Y.

WATCHCASE.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

To all whom it' may concern:

Be it known that I, Louis MABILLE, of the city, count-y and State of New York, have invented a new and uset'ul Improvement in 'Vatchcases; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description ot the same, reference being had to the accompanying' drawing', torming part of the specitication, in which* Figure l, is a front view ot a watch case with my improvement. Figs. 2 and 3 are central sections of the same, the former representing' it as a limiting watch case, and the latter with an open front. Fig. e, represents the case with the back open and with the inside of the back toward the spectator.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention consists in a certain novel construction of what is known as a magic watch case, whereby extreme simplicity is combined with neatness of appearance.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, l will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, is the principal portion or band ot the case, which contains the movement, and has the handle Z), permanently attached.

B, is the back, hinged to A, in the usual manner, by a hinge c.

a, is the ring or frame which contains the glass Z, hinged to the part A, of the case, in the same manner as in an ordinary hunting watch.

C D, is the front of the case, made in two pieces, which, when combined, as shown in the section, Fig. 3, present a similar appearance to the front ot the case of an ordinary hunting watch. These two pieces consist ot a ring or trame C, which is hinged at L, to the part A, in the same manner as the front ot a hunting watch case, and a circular plate D, to cover the opening in the said ring or frame, which opening is of about the size of the watch face or dial. The ring or traine C, and the plate D, are attached together by providing' a very small raised rim e, see Figs. 2 and 3, on the outer tace of the inner margin ot the ring or trame C, to be received within a shallow bezel a', which is 23,035, dated February 22, 1859.

formed around t-he inner :tace ot the margin of the plate D, the said rim c, and bezel i, being slightly dovetailed to provide for the secure attachment ot the plate D, to the ring or frame C, and the plate D, having its marginal portion sutiiciently concave to give it the requisite slight degree of elasticity which is desirable, to make thc said plate secure when on the ring or trame C, and yet to provide for its slipping on and ott the rim c, when desired.

The plate D, is easily removed trom the ring or `trame C, when the front C D, of the case is open, by holding` the ring C, at opposite sides between the thumbs and tingers of both hands, and with the thumbs or fingers pressing the plate D, outward from the ring or trame. The ring being then closed on the part A, ot the case, as shown in Fig. 9., the watch presents the same appearance as an open faced watch, the rim e, projecting so little as to be unobservable eX- cept by close examination.

To provide convenience for carrying the plate D, at the back of the watch case, when it is removed from the trent thereof, I provide a cavity (Z, (Z, see Fig. 3, in the interior ot the back B, ot a form to receive the said plate D, without its interfering with the shutting up of the back. On one side ot this cavity there is a projecting stationary catch f, see Figs. 2, 3, and 4, under which the edge of the plate D, is placed and on the opposite side there is a spring catch g, which springs aside to admit the said plate into the cavity when the latter is pressed against it, and springs over the edge of the plate in the manner illustrated in Figs. 2 and t, after the plate is inserted in the cavity, and thus secures it therein. vWhen it is desired to remove the plate D, from the cavity (Z, (l, the spring catch g, is pushed back oit it, and it is allowed to drop out.

This method of constructing the case Oives it a neat appearance on the exterior in either of its conditions, and makes it present a similar neat appearance to a common case, and neither materially increases the depth ot the case or thickness ot the watch, nor presents any knobs, catches, or other projections on the exterior ot the case.

ing` rim e, and bezel z', all the Way around ya when combined With an internal cavity CZ, (l,

in the back to receive and contain the said plate when removed from the front.

LOUIS MABILLE.

Witnesses:

WVM. TUSGH, DAVID A. DEMAREST. 

